I have tried a multitude of makeup products from the ponciest counter at David Jones and Myer to the $5 displays at the local chemist. I have had custom-made foundations, stick foundations that make you look like an extra in a zombie movie, tinted moisturisers that make you look like you dunked your head in oil, and makeup that looks fine in the morning, only to disintegrate into a bubbling mess at the end of the day.

My previous faves were Revlon New Complexion foundation and Garnier BB Cream, however they never had the right colour for me. Many of my fellow olive-skinned beauty aficionados will understand the frustration of finding a great product only to find nothing in our shade. In my experience, many makeup companies believe that people generally have unusually coloured skin.

I have come up with a few names for the shades I have seen so far:

Vampire White
Coral Calamity
Bizarrely Pink
Sunburned Lobster
Oompa Loompa Orange
Eggplant Nightmare
Questionable Sunbed Accident

Here's a tip for makeup companies - people don't generally have bright pink skin.

Soooo, to make a long story short (too late!) I have found a foundation/tinted moisturiser-type product that actually matches my skin tone.

And the best part? The prices are fantastic.

So without further ado, I unveil... (Get it? Unveil? Argh)

Coral Colours Tinted Moisturiser - Natural Tan

This is the best thing ever. It goes on smoothly, you don't need to use much and it looks totally natural on olive skin. Yippee!


My other great discovery was this amazing Argan Oil Mascara

I have been using argan oil as a beauty treatment but a hidden benefit of argan oil is the ability to help grow and thicken eyelashes (and eyebrows, if you like that sort of thing!)

I am also excited about the expanded range of products that includes BB Cream and other argan oil based products. The company is local to Melbourne (Brunswick) and the prices are phenomenally good.

What are your experiences of makeup? Me, I'm a girly-girl in only one respect - I love my makeup. For a long time I have worn the standard liquid foundation (Revlon New Complexion) which in my opinion is the best of the gluggy bunch. This formula can look pretty unnatural and can mask the skin's radiance, giving you a pale or"'greyed out" look. This is why foundation has always been a bit of a grey area for me (pun intended).

The biggest problem with this kind of makeup is the dreaded 3:15 slide. That's the time when the coverage of the makeup wears off and the shiny stuff starts to show through. I, like many people, have "oily skin". It means that I get shiny in the afternoon and makeup finds it hard to stay on, which is why I found myself rushing to reapply a touch-up layer mid-afternoon.

I have begun trialling Musq Mineral Makeup for the past week. The first thing I noticed is that I no longer need to reapply. At 7pm I can look in the mirror and look the same as I did at 7:30am when I first applied the makeup. I no longer have to think about reapplying - I can use the time for other, more important thinking. Like golf for example....

The makeup contains concentrated natural ingredients with no talc or bismuth oxychloride. I have trouble remembering the oxymoron name but I do remember the ingredient is something you do not want on your face. It dawned on me that I may have been over-stimulating my sebaceous glands with the chemicals in my liquid makeup for an extended period of time.

The first day I tried the mineral makeup my skin felt a bit dry. It was a powder, after all. I thought "Oh well, it's not for me." By day two my skin had normalized itself and the look and texture had begun to improve. At this time I started to realise that I may be doing something good for my skin instead of irritating it with chemicals.

The powder is unlike any normal powder you might find in a compact. The ordinary powders feel as if they are weighing heavily on your skin. Conversely, this makeup is lightweight and feels like no makeup at all. It looks as if I am not wearing makeup but it has good coverage and the added protection of SPF 17-20.

I will be interested to see how long my container lasts. I was surprised that the container was listed as 5g but when it arrived, 5g of powder looked like more than I had imagined. If this container lasts as long as I think it's going to last, then it's good value. Remember - with mineral makeup, less is more.

technorati tags: mineral makeup musq

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Okay, I'm miffed at Revlon for discontinuing the best shades of lipstick and lipliner colours. Dusty Rose is a classic. And I can't find it anywhere. It's the ONLY colour that suits me. ARGH!!! Okay, I won't die without it but I have had nightmares about being stranded on a desert island without it. And it scares me. They also discontinued my favourite lip colour - which I think was also called 'Dusty Rose' - the one that went with the lipcolour, anyway.

I now have to settle for 'Plum Baby' (467) which the lady at the Revlon counter told me was the equivalent to 'Dusty Rose'. It's not. It's ok, but it's not the same. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Technorati Tags: Revlon timeliner lipliner lipstick dusty rose